Modest to a fault, Jorja Fox is gracious about what many would call the burden of fame and relentless scrutiny by the public that comes when starring on TV’s top rated show. CBS’s “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”

“In general, I’m only surprised that people want to hear what I have to say at all, about anything,” she laughs. “I’m always, you want to interview me? OK. Sure!”

But Fox doesn’t want to talk about her fabulous television career, doesn’t want to pose for the cameras in yet another glamorous photo shoot. This isn’t to be mistaken for the classic TV star brattitude of “It’s so hard to be me- where’s my Perrier?” Rather, Jorja Fox has more pressing issues on her mind. She’s interested in equality for all, women’s right to abortion, Hollywood’s allergy to age, and the Bush Administration.

“I celebrated the death of the United States of America a couple of months ago,” Fox announces, grabbing a beer and settling in to discuss George W. Bush’s State of the Union address.

“I’m very proud to be an American Patriot, and I’m a capitalist, but I feel that the constitution I grew up with is pretty much null and void.”

Fox numbers her reasons for why Bush should be impeached. The Patriot Act is number 16.

“They stole the election,” she says. “Twice. There’s a couple more reasons.”

The war in Iraq and the mishandling of Hurricane Katrina come in at the top of the list.

On the issue of equal rights for women and gays, Fox continues to be forthright.

“You know, here we are in 2006 where we supposedly have equal rights and [women] are still making a third less than most of the men in the country. And that’s fucked.”

Fox then refers to Pastor Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, who has a website called godhatesfags.com. Phelps and his supporters parade around the country to cheer at the funerals of gay people.

“It’s an absolute disgrace,” says Fox.

As for the issue of abortion, Fox is struck by the view of the Religious Right that an unborn fetus has the same rights as, if not more than, every American Citizen, especially women and homosexuals.

“They’re saying to us that a little clump of cells has the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but not human beings that are alive and well and living on the planet.” She pauses to take a puff on her cigarette. “I take issue with that.”

Hollywood is also on her radar.

“A woman reaches her 30s and 40s, and the odds of her working, not even necessarily as a star of a film, but just as a bread and butter job- the odds start to decline rather rapidly,” notes Fox. “It’s one of the uglier truths of this town.”

A self-described “rock and roll chick,” Fox wonders what’s supposed to happen to women like herself, not to mention heroes like Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, and Melissa Etheridge.

“Am I just going to grow into my sixties in my ripped-up blue jeans and my boots, or is there another way that I’m supposed to look?” Laughing now, Fox flashes her trade mark gap-toothed grin. “Cause left to my own devices, I’m going to look like Keith Richards.” Which isn’t to say that Fox is headed the nearest plastic surgeon’s office.

“I never saw myself as someone that would want to be involved in this intense, losing, race against time,” She reflects for a moment. “It just seems really futile and painful and deprived” She smiles. “And I like my lines, I’ve earned them.”

Putting aside revolution for a moment, Fox allows herself to be cajoled back into discussing her career and the fact that she has weathered the many storms of rabid media interest regarding everything from being fired and then rehired by “CSI” in the summer of 2004 during contract renegotiations to rumors that she’s pregnant.

“There’s a point in the year when it’s been raining a lot in L.A. and it’s not that easy to work out, and the Heineken six-pack starts to show up around the belly,” She chuckles as she takes a sip of her drink.

Fox takes high notes regarding the fiasco of 2004, and skirts the subject disgracefully, instead of focusing on gratitude for her success of television.

“It’s like I’m in Vegas and I’m at a slot machine and I’m stuck to it, like my hands are really stuck to the slot machine, and I’ve just been hitting it consecutively, for six years.”

Fox relates to all her characters, from Dr. Maggie Doyle on “ER,” to Agent Gina Toscano on “The West Wing,” to Sara Sidle on ““CSI.” In spite of similarities between the three characters, Fox isn’t worried about typecasting.

“They’re all gun-toting, really cerebral, over-educated women,” she says, “I feel like if I’m going to be typecast, then wow, thank God.”

According to Fox, developing a split personality when inhabiting the skin of another person is par for the course, even when the cameras are turned off and the crew goes home.

“It’s not like [the characters] caught a plane to Greece and married some guy or died,” observes Fox. “In some strange way they sort of still hang out there somewhere.”

She cites playing Sara Sidle as her “greatest joy,” and say she and the rest of the cast were stunned by CSI’s breakthrough success.

“I really thought of the show would fail miserably after eight episodes,” She laughs. “I thought nobody would want to watch a show about death on a Friday night.”

Currently in pre-production for an original musical called “Dear Bernard.” Fox and her theater company, Honeypot Productions, are readying to take their play to London’s famed West End, which is a huge step for the grassroots crew. The group, made up of old New York acting buddies going back to 15 years, has traditionally put up small shows in people’s backyards with free booze because Fox feels “…shows go better when alcohol is involved.”

As for the revolution, Fox hasn’t given up. As the bumper sticker puts it, she thinks Christian Right is neither. She feels the group is powerful simply because it doesn’t play by the rules of decency that the Left continues to honor.

“I’m not a professional activist by any means. I’m just and actor. But it seems to me we need that next thing.” She muses.

Fox believes that the fight is far from over, and claims she’s not going anywhere until she’s done her part to reclaim what she describes as the America she grew up in.

“Dreams come true all the time,” she smiles, stubbing out her cigarette. “You never know when, but they do.”